


Along the way I lost my heart

by SpaceMalarkey



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Pain, Recovered Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-15 21:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18080825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceMalarkey/pseuds/SpaceMalarkey
Summary: Wild finds a picture. Strangely enough, it’s still intact. The painting shows two figures, a man and a woman on their wedding day."This looks like Twi," he chuckles nervously. The man has the same nose as Twilight does, the same chin. However, something feels...off.





	Along the way I lost my heart

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of the Linked Universe AU created by jojo56830. Visit the awesome AU at linkeduniverse.tumblr.com
> 
> Once again, the Discord server strikes. All of you fuel my angsty ways.
> 
> Title is from the song "Mother" by Ina Wroldsen.

There was something that had pulled him to this specific ruin. The party had reached Castle Town and were in the process of exploring. Some of his counterparts found this place to be unsettling, others wanted to explore, just like him. When he had walked in what was once a small back street, he could feel a strange sensation overtaking him. His legs moved on their own like he knew where he was going. There is a house here, or there used to be. It’s in shambles like the rest of Castle Town. There seems to be something special about this place, for it makes the young hero feel faint and nauseated. He tries to swallow the sick feeling down and decides to have a look around, see if he can’t find anything useful.

Wild finds a picture. Strangely enough, it’s still intact. The painting shows two figures, a man and a woman on their wedding day.  
"This looks like Twi," he chuckles nervously. The man has the same nose as Twilight does, the same chin. However, something feels...off.  
There is another painting lying nearby featuring the same man and woman, older now, but surrounded by a family. A family of four. A man, looking very much like Time with rugged features. A woman, kind eyes and strong arms. A girl, very small. She looks like a small Wind. They have the same eyes, he notes.The boy. Its him. Its _him_ in this painting. His family.  
Suddenly he feels sick and he can’t stand being there. The room feels like its closed in on him despite no longer having a ceiling. Something is crushing him. The air is dense, thick with the reality that screams at him with the voices of countless souls doomed to a horrible end.  
_Your fault._  
_Your fault!_  
_This is your fault! You are the reason you are all alone!_

He doesn’t notice how far away he has run until he comes to a sudden stop. The air smells differently here, humid. Nothing like the ashes of the destroyed seat of Hyrule. He can hear the wind in the trees gently swishing. He can feel someone holding him tightly against their broad chest, breathing steadily, unlike him. Someone strong, unlike him. He is scared to look up, because he thinks he knows who the chest belongs to. He can see him in his mind’s eye. Scar across one eye, markings marring his skin. Golden hair styled humbly, rarely cut.  
He is scared to look, but he looks up anyway. He sees dad holding him. Dad with his kind, yet strong face. His warm eyes and his understanding smile. His strict yet righteous sense of honor. His smile and his laughter. He feels so safe and so sad. He feels so much guilt and pain. He can’t hear anything, only see his father’s lips move in a silent command. "Breathe".  
“Breathe, Wild”.  
He does, and reality comes crushing back.  
Time is looking down at him with a concerned expression marring his features. He knows something is wrong, but he can’t begin to understand the crushing weight upon the younger’s heart. "I killed them," he manages to choke out as tears flood his eyes freely for the first time in what seems like ages. He can’t remember crying since he was four and he visited the Domain. Since he pulled the sword from the pedestal and his life changed forever.  
Since he no longer felt he had the right to a normal life, burdened with divine purpose. When he had become a shell of his former self. When he had gone astray, losing everything.  
He wanted to go home. To the streets leading him to that small house. Back to a time where he felt steady and safe.

He closed his eyes tight, leaning into the warm body of the taller man who resembled his father so painfully. Maybe if he just stayed like this, never opening his eyes, it would feel like back then. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could pretend none of this ever happened, he didn’t fail all the people he once knew. He didn’t have them all murdered by failure.  
He could feel strong arms embracing him, one across his back and one over his shoulders, a hand supporting his head, burying fingers in his hair.  
"No" dad says, voice warm and filled with concern. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Wild”.  
No. Not dad. Time. This was Time. Wild struggled to understand, his mind was in disarray. The Hero of Time himself continued to hold him, letting him unleash his anguish. Sometimes, the most courageous thing one could do was cry. They stood like that until Wild stopped crying, losing grip of reality from emotional exhaustion. Time gently moved them to a seated position so he could cradle the boy in his arms, safe from the world. At least for a little while. The boy had earned that much. He never wanted someone so young to feel so much pain. He would never forget the sound of Wild’s voice, broken by grief and guilt.

He would never forget how Wild had desperately called him Dad. 


End file.
